Senators GM Bryan Murray reveals he has Stage-4 cancer, promotes early testing

In an interview Thursday with TSN, Senators GM Bryan Murray revealed the extent of the cancer he's been dealing with since the summer. Unfortunately, the picture for him is bleak, but he's determined to fight.

In an interview with TSN's Michael Farber Thursday, Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray revealed the extent of the cancer he was diagnosed with over the summer – and the long-term outlook for him is not good.

"There is no cure at this point for me," Murray said of his Stage-4 (the most serious) colon cancer, which had also spread to his lungs and liver. "The frustrating part — and I've said this to several doctors since then — is, ‘How come there were no signs?' "

The soon-to-be 72-year-old Murray announced in July he was suffering from the disease, but in his discussion with Farber he said he's since learned he was likely living with some form of cancer for the past decade without knowing it. He had not undergone a colonoscopy that likely would have detected a problem and dealt with it at an earlier stage, but to his credit, Murray is not feeling sorry for himself and made a point to advocate for men to have prostate exams.

“Like a lot of men do, I put it off,” Murray told Farber. “A simple colonoscopy, in my case, probably would have solved this problem I have.”

Murray continues to undergo chemotherapy and isn't planning on stepping down from the job in Ottawa. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk in January extended his contract through the 2015-16 season, and Murray is intent on making the most of whatever time he has left.

"The word is we'll keep doing chemo and, hopefully, reduce the tumors and the effect and I'll get some time out of that," Murray said. "Let's keep it going as long as we can and be as healthy as we can for that time and enjoy what we have as we do it.”

Murray has been a fixture on the NHL scene for more than a quarter-century and is one of the most respected hockey men alive. The hockey world – and The Hockey News – extend our very best wishes and support for him.